The dangerous crime? A poem that Tatour posted on Facebook, called Qawem ya sha’abi, qawemhum,” translated by poet Tariq Al-Haydar as “Resist, My People, Resist Them.” The poem allegedy incites violence against the Israeli state. Tatour is currently under house arrest awaiting the next phase of her trial.

Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem and the poetry of Dareen Tatour are tributes to both truth and the power of poetry to silence everything except the heart. Poems like this make us listen and think deeply. This is the power of the poem, this is why the poet is feared and attacked, but this is also why the poem will persist and carry its life and meaning forward to inspire others.